By Mike Rwothomio

A wave of grief has submerged Padea Town Council, Zombo District, following the tragic drowning of 22-year-old Scovia Dwong Paa Mungu in Leda Stream.

The incident, which occurred on the morning of Sunday, October 26, 2025, in Leda Stream, Limu Cell, Ndindu Ward, swept away the life of a married woman and mother of one.

Dick Thumi, the LCI chairperson of Limu Cell, confirmed the tragedy in a telephone interview, stating, "Scovia was found lifeless in Leda Stream around 8 a.m. She had gone to wash clothes with her child when she reportedly slipped, struck her head on a rock, and was pulled under by the water."

He added, "Her three-year-old child, unable to rouse her mother, ran home to alert others. We rushed to the scene, but she had already been claimed by the waters."

Melki Onyutha Orwothuwun, the LCIII chairperson of Padea Town Council, described the incident as "a devastating loss."

He extended condolences to the bereaved family, noting, "We notified the police, who began their investigation at the scene. The body was later carried to her ancestral home."

The deceased's body was handed over to relatives at her ancestral home in Padea Jumu Cama, near the border of Padea Town Council, for burial.

The police have not yet issued a statement regarding this tragic incident.

Drowning remains a relentless tide in Uganda. According to the Uganda Police Force, 119 drowning cases were reported in 2024, a decline from 138 in 2023, comprising 62% of water-related incidents. Yet, a 2024 Makerere University School of Public Health report estimates over 3,000 drowning deaths annually, averaging nine lives lost daily to the depths.

Mike Rwothomio is news editor at zoomer Africa your number one grassroot informations